


Turning Gears

by xenoshadel



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Action, Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Subtle Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-04
Updated: 2015-03-04
Packaged: 2018-03-16 07:20:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3479321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xenoshadel/pseuds/xenoshadel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There wasn't anyone with a stronger passion for the Shepherds than the beloved tactician. Brilliant strategies can guarantee a victory in battle, unless a sudden surprise on the battlefield sends Robin into a worrying abyss as she stresses over the importance of keeping everyone in the army safe. Though who was more likely to comfort her than the charming thief?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Turning Gears

_Boom! Crack! Whoosh!_

The moment of battle meant putting your life on the line and protecting those that strung their invisible ties around you. Thunder bolts may crackle and darkness may swallow a horrified enemy whole, but there wasn’t a fire that burned with a more intense passion for the Shepherds than the heart of the silver-haired tactician. Pages whipped back and forth as she called out various spells from her Thoron tome and had the flash of electricity reflect off of her eyes. The red orbs on the sunken face of the Risen standing before her glowed a dull light as it gathered the last of its strength to charge at her with surprising speed. The tactician widened her eyes for a moment and just before she could step back in a nearly desperate attempt to draw her sword, a flash of orange and the glint of steel slashed at the Risen and won a dispersed cloud of purple particles.

With a mass of purple sliding off his sword, the thief turned to her with a smirk and gave her a sly wink. “I wouldn’t want that pretty head of yours to roll around the field, Bubbles. It wouldn’t really help our morale, you know.”

Robin rolled her eyes and nodded gratefully at him before scanning the battlefield. Just beyond her and with Falchion in hand, the prince side stepped from what would have been a fatal cut on his torso from the Risen’s claws and swung his sword at the purple monstrosity. Lissa cheered at his side and rushed off to a limping Miriel, who still kept her head up as her glasses flashed from the blast of the Arcfire spell she casted. The Shepherds all had an ally to watch their backs and support their advancements, and Robin smiled at the sight of companionship around her and caught the looming figure of the Risen commander in the distance. She met the eyes of Chrom, who joined with Frederick and his large horse, and he nodded his head before riding towards a small group of approaching Risen with the Great Knight.

“Shall we blow out the candle on this cake?” Gaius asked, the stick of his lollipop pointing up as he grinned down at Robin.

In spite of herself, she answered with a broad smile and a gleam in her brown eyes, and the two ran towards the patient Risen. Somehow a thief and a tactician worked wonders on the battlefield: Robin as the conductor of devastating spells for momentarily overwhelming the opponent while Gaius glided through the distance between him and the anguished soldier with a swift cut of his sword. His impressive speed and agility saved Robin more than the number of times she could recall on, and her quick tactics led to a pile of confections in her tent as an expression of the thief’s gratitude. Ah, what a sight to admire with how the sun shined on the silver and orange hair of the running Shepherds and gave them a captivating shine.

A low growl greeted the pair and with a firm hand on the heavy tome, Robin shouted out a spell with her palm open to the commander and bolt of lightning struck the Risen. Sparks crackled around its large body but it stared at her with an unfazed look, slightly raising its arms to prepare its offense. Gritting her teeth at the lack of impact, Robin dropped her tome to grip her silver sword and glared at the Risen. Gaius readied his own sword and after sharing a look with the tactician, they read each other’s silent message and advanced towards the undead in unison. Robin stepped to the right and swiped up with her sword while Gaius used the distraction to his advantage by swinging at the exposed left flank. A choking sound met their ears and the Risen spun its arms in an attempt to drive the two away, but it was in vain when the thief nimbly ducked from its claws and Robin parried with her sword. She deflected the multiple strikes once the commander decided to focus its attention on her and despite it being a Risen, it possessed a certain speed and strength that none of the other Risen would normally have.

Slightly concerned with its skill, Robin jumped back once the Risen stopped its offense to give her the momentum she needed to slash at its chest but her plan backfired when it brought its arms up to block her blow and in an attempt to knock her to the side. Gaius quickly maneuvered to stand between her and the commander and the loud clang of claws against steel rang in their ears. Taking a moment to recover, Robin stepped around the thief to lodge her sword into the Risen’s side and after a loud groan of pain, it sank itself deeper into the sword to swipe an outstretched hand at her head before materializing into a dark purple cloud and vanishing into the air. A few strands of silver hair fluttered to the ground but no harm came across the tactician and she sighed in relief.

Gaius sheathed his sword back on his hip and handed Robin’s tome to her. “Well that was a tasty battle, wouldn’t you say?”

“Though it was also unexpected. Normally the Risen don’t move like that, not even the larger ones we encountered before had half the speed of this one,” Robin replied with furrowed brows and tapped her fingers on the yellow tome. “Could this be Gangrel’s work?”

“Beats me.” Gaius shrugged and noticed the last of the Risen taken down by a few of the Shepherds. Although breathing heavily, the soldiers voiced a cheer of victory and gave each other a shoulder to lean on for those that won minor injuries. “Should we get to Blue now, Bubbles? I wouldn’t want the chocolate to melt in my bag.”

The tactician laughed and nodded, briskly walking with the thief and squinting at the field around her. Broken axes and swords from the enemy littered the field and the weaponry that retained its solid shape were collected as spoils by a group of eager Shepherds. Chrom was listening to Frederick’s report on the soldiers’ condition and his face lit up when he saw Robin and Gaius. He nodded his thanks to the knight and smiled at the two, his blue hair disheveled and beads of sweat shined on his forehead. “I see that the commander was no match for the famed duo. Nicely done, you two.”

Gaius waved his hand indifferently and spotted his large bag of candy hiding behind a faraway tree. “You can’t get any more sweet icing on the cake than me and Bubbles here.” He smirked before running towards the tree and leaving an amused Robin with the prince.

She glanced up at Chrom and folded her arms. “I hope that none of the other soldiers experienced a fight against an unusual Risen here?”

Grimacing for a moment, he nudged his head towards Lissa and Maribelle. “If only the commander was the only one that compared more to a beast than an undead soldier. Sumia and Sully had the luck of facing against a few Risen that would have bested them had it not been for Libra to step in and hold their ground. Sully got the worst of it when the Risen snapped her lance, but the damage wasn’t fatal.” He paused to clench his hands before relaxing them and looking into Robin’s eyes. “We’ll have to discuss this for the next strategy meeting.”

“Agreed. I have a feeling we’ll see more of them in the future, and the sooner we prepare everyone for them when we reach Gangrel, the better.” An unsettling feeling slipped through Robin’s mind when she thought of the possible casualties that would have a slim chance of preventing if the Shepherds weren’t ready. She trusted Frederick to train them until they earned his rare nod of approval, but what if the next wave of Risen continued to grow in strength?

Blue eyes hardened at the thought of the Mad King and Chrom gave Robin a small nod before walking towards the unified group of Shepherds and announcing their departure back to camp. A low murmur swept over the soldiers and as they began their journey back to the campground, the tactician felt a large arm wrap around her shoulders and caught the familiar twinkle of green eyes shining down at her. Her thoughts seemed to ease for a moment and she smiled at the thief. “I see that the stash of candy survived during the battle.”

Gaius chuckled and nudged his head to the large bag of candy hanging over his right shoulder. “It survived long enough until ol’ Sticky Fingers came along." He moved his hand to fumble in one of his hidden pockets and revealed a lollipop with a pink bear head, twiddling it in his fingers for a moment before waving it in front of Robin’s face. “Though your shoulders have been pretty stiff for a while now, and there’s nothing that a little bit of sugar can’t fix, Bubbles.”

“I don’t need a lollipop now, Gaius. Sugar won’t—hmf!” A sudden burst of flavor tingled Robin’s tongue when Gaius stuck the lollipop in her mouth and grinned at the glare she was giving him.

“Better, Bubbles?” he cheekily asked.

“You’re not entirely helping,” Robin sighed and let the sugar rush to her senses as she swirled the lollipop, much to the satisfaction of the thief. Although she wouldn’t admit it, the sugary delight did have its use of distracting her mind while she focused on the overwhelming flavor. A little distraction would indeed be very helpful for the worried tactician . . .

“Sully, dear, don’t walk so fast now. You wouldn’t want your wounds to open up, would you?” Maribelle called out to the Cavalier walking in front of her and Robin blinked in shock at her condition.

Purple scratches peeked from the wrapped forearms of the hardy woman and a deep cut stretched along the armor that trailed from her neck and down to her right hip. Tufts of spiky red hair were stuck together with sweat and dried blood while a gnarled scar on her cheek teased at Robin’s eyes under the sunlight. How the woman managed to walk straight from the brutal fight against the Risen was a miracle to think about, and she glanced back at the noblewoman with a wince of pain. “Ngh. It ain’t that bad. I can still handle . . . five more of them if they showed up . . . Damn Risen . . .”

“Don’t speak such nonsense or I will personally keep you under my watch until you have recovered enough to fight properly.” Blonde curls shook as Maribelle frowned at Sully and watched her mutter under her breath once she slowed to match the Troubadour’s pace.

Gaius felt Robin’s shoulders tense when she made a loud crunch from biting into her lollipop and he looked at her in concern, his free hand gently playing with her long hair in hopes of relaxing her. The tactician didn’t notice his soft caresses while she chewed on the shattered pieces of candy in thought. If a normal Risen with enhanced strength is capable of injuring a soldier, even one with the will of a warrior like Sully, what doom will cross their paths when they reach villages they were too late to save or encounter frequent ambushes? 

The warm breeze tugged on her robe and the long grass teased at her boots but to no avail did they relax the tactician as they once had. Even when the sound of Chrom’s voice congratulating the Shepherds pushed aside her organizing thoughts, her low mumble of acknowledgement ushered those thoughts back into an aligned assortment of chaos. Strategic formations turned the gears of her mind as she picked through the papers in her tent and muttered to herself while searching for the perfect solution to ease the troubling matter. "Perhaps those that were skilled with an ax could pair up with the myrmidons in the front lines while the mages will keep their distance and support the paladins. Perhaps a new tome will be needed for all the mages to learn if a simple Thoron bolt can’t harm the new Risen. New combinations could have an effect as well, such as fire with darkness, or wind with fire instead? Or perhaps—"

“You know you wouldn’t be helping us if you burned your brains out, Bubbles.”

Oh how that thick stream of molasses tried to slow those turning gears, and Robin blinked in surprise from the collection of papers she was carrying. She peeked from the piles of textbooks near her and the thief looked at her with a calm expression, his lollipop replaced with a fresh one in his mouth and his arms folded. He watched how she absentmindedly collected her papers when they entered her tent and how her forehead creased in thought, signifying that the awaiting night will be a long one filled with scribbled writing and eyes that struggled against the weight of heavy eyelids. As much as those nights promised beneficial tactics for the future, it came at the cost of the tactician’s sanity, and what good will come across the Shepherds if Robin had difficulty retaining her place in reality?

Robin realized that she hadn’t noticed Gaius in the tent throughout her hustling and she gave him an apologetic smile, though it slightly wavered. “That may be so, but what good would it be if other brains burned out when I didn’t use the last of my fuse?”

The thief’s mouth twitched and he slowly walked over to her. “I wouldn’t want anything to burn if I can help it, especially when it comes to you. You know better than to worry us all from _your_ worrying.”

“I only need time to think of a plan that’ll reassure everyone, but if and when I do—“

“Bubbles,” Gaius interrupted with a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I know that you’re the brains of this whole bunch, but think about yourself for a moment, all right? You’ve been skipping out on dinner and hiding away whenever you pass by the medical tent. Now, how you’re supposed to use your noggin _isn’t_ by overworking it and hey, it’s not your fault if someone got injured or if you can’t foresee every little thing. Accept the things that happened and keep them as a learning experience for you to use, not a punishment to replay in your head.”

Robin brought her eyes down for a moment and bit her lip. He was right and they both knew it, and the internal gears hummed as they slowed little by little. “You’re right . . . but after the Exalt and what happened, I can’t make any mistakes. I won’t have another life lost, not if I can do what I can to prevent it.”

“She’s been gone for two weeks, Bubbles.” Gaius brought his hand up to Robin’s cheek and gazed into her brown eyes. “I get that you’ll do anything to keep everyone safe, but know that you don’t have to do it alone. We’re here for you, and I’m here for you too.”

Ah, so that’s how the gears can come to a full stop. He gave her a gentle smile and the warmth shined in Robin’s eyes when she returned the smile. She held his hand on her cheek and closed her eyes, letting that sweet feeling of tranquility envelop her. Loved ones will continue to smile at her as long as she can stand firm with her tome in hand and return their smiles. That smile will only grow while they pull through victory, and it’ll stay in place thanks to the charming thief. Gaius wrapped his arms around Robin and she nuzzled into his chest, hearing the steady sound of his heartbeat and breathing in the comforting smell of hidden sweets. He kissed the top of her head and for a moment, it was almost as if the gears hadn’t turned all day. The tactician and the thief, the silver shine of the moon and the orange haze of the sun . . . how blissfully sweet, indeed.

“We’re in this together.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope that you enjoyed it! I originally posted this on my Tumblr and thought hey, why not put it here too? You can reach me on my Tumblr [@xenoshadel](http://xenoshadel.tumblr.com/). I also have a [ko-fi page](http://ko-fi.com/A35327K1/) if anyone ever wants to leave me a tip!


End file.
